At this time of year we would be about to start another season. The Society’s position is affected by what’s happening at The Venue – we are their tenants and have to abide by the operating conditions they impose, both commercially and in respect of any revised health and safety requirements now Covid restrictions have ended.
Though The Venue has resumed film screenings, the way it will operate is changing. The commercial arm of the university which used to run it has been wound up and the cinema is now part of the BGU estate. The Venue are not yet in a position to discuss the details of how we would and could operate. They have stated that they do wish us to return, but cannot envisage being able to permit that until 2022.
We need to know the basis of any return, particularly in relation to the hiring charges and what they expect from us as regards safety precautions. Without this information we cannot make plans to return before the end of the year.
We will be exploring the possibility of pilot screenings in the Spring, but we will not open a membership list until we understand how keen people will be to rejoin and whether that will enable us to use the membership model that has served us so well for so long.
We do have liaison meetings with The Venue planned during the autumn/winter and so expect to be able to provide some substantive information on the type of future relationship we will have with them.
Richard Hall
Chair
